Over a year and a half since its initial reveal teaser under the working title “Codename Red“, Ubisoft has provided a better look at Assassin’s Creed Shadows‘ characters and story in a new cinematic trailer. The new footage didn’t show any gameplay but did confirm many rumors surrounding the game, such as its dual protagonists, Naoe and Yasuke, one of whom has the skills of a shinobi and the other of a samurai, to offer two different approaches to situations that are in keeping with both types of mainline Assassin’s Creed titles: the original stealth-oriented ones, and the more recent combat-heavy RPGs.
Accompanying this trailer was the announcement of Assassin’s Creed Shadows‘ November 15 release date, and Ubisoft’s website updated to allow pre-orders of the game. As is the case with nearly every Ubisoft title, there are several different versions of the game to choose between, each with additional bonuses. The Ultimate edition of Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be available on Ubisoft’s subscription service, Ubisoft+, from launch, but for those who wish to purchase the game, there’s a decent amount of bonus content on offer.
While Assassin’s Creed Shadows‘ standard edition may only come with the base game, there is a perk for those who preorder the game: the additional bonus quest, Thrown to the Dogs. Little has been revealed about the preorder quest’s story, but the Ubisoft site does mention that it involves helping a dog avenge his late master. Considering the news that Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be returning to the traditional Eagle Vision mechanic from the earlier games, rather than the eagles of Assassin’s Creed Origins and Odyssey, or the raven in Valhalla, it would be nice to see an animal companion in the game again, even just for one quest.
The Gold and Ultimate versions of Assassin’s Creed Shadows contain several additional digital bonuses. Both of these editions come with a Season Pass containing an extra mission available at launch in which players must infiltrate a secret society from the inside, as well as two upcoming expansions with new lands and characters to explore, and grant players 3 days early access to the game, meaning they can start playing from November 12.
The Ultimate edition of the game also includes the additional “Ultimate Pack“. This contains the Sekiryu Character Pack – granting both Naoe and Yasuke a new outfit and weapon, trinket, and mount -, the Sekiryu Hideout Pack – which contains items to decorate players unique bases, seemingly confirming earlier rumors that Shadows would expand upon Valhalla‘s settlement mechanic -, 5 Skill points, and a red and black photo mode filter called “Red Dragon“.
A breakdown of each version’s contents and cost is as follows:
Assassin’s Creed Shadows‘ Collector’s Edition costs $279.99 and includes all the digital content from the previous versions via an Ultimate Edition copy of the game, but comes with a wealth of physical bonuses. This physical content includes an impressive 40cm-tall figurine of Naoe and Yasuke springing into action, and an exclusive Steelbook case.
Further content includes a map of Assassin’s Creed Shadows‘ open world, a Creed wall scroll, an 84-page collector’s artbook, and two 19 x 13.5 cm Sumi-e lithographs depicting Naoe and Yasuke in action. There is also a life-size Katana Tsuba inspired by Naoe’s weapon design in the game.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows‘ Collector’s Edition is only available at participating retailers, while the other versions of the game are available direct from Ubisoft’s website. The title will launch on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 with digital and physical versions of the game for these platforms, and on PC via Ubisoft’s own launcher, Ubisoft Connect, and Epic Games Store, with a Steam release likely coming at a later date. The game is also available on Macs with Apple Silicon via the Mac App Store.
Source: Ubisoft